SPONGY FLOOR?

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When looking at a caravan you wish to buy or at some point during owning your caravan you may notice an area of the van floor becoming less solid than the rest of the van floor.  If it's quite bad then you may have yourself a mini trampoline.  Looking underneath the van when standing in this area may look like you're about to put your foot through the floor.

Firstly lets de-mystify this problem.  It may be caused by damp but is more than likely nothing to do with moisture. The way that most caravan floors after a certain time were built was changed from solid 19mm

ply-wood (heavy) to a laminated sandwhich-board.  This comprises of a 4 or 6mm layer of ply underneath the van, a timber frame above filled with polystyrene or foam to a flush level and then a top layer of 4 or 6mm ply. These layers would have been originally bonded together with a special glue.  Over time if you use 1 part of the floor more than another the glue can wear off and "de-lamination" occurs.  This just means that that area will be weaker than the rest of the floor due to the bonding between layers failing.  

There's nothing wrong with the way the floor has been made, it saves on weight which is a good thing as it's going to be easier to tow.

So how do you fix a delaminated floor?
If the van has a carpet then the carpet can be removed in that area, holes drilled through the top layer of ply and a glue inserted beneath this layer.  The top layer is then weighted down and left to set.  Once set you've got a fully bonded floor again and no de-lamination effect!  If the van has lino flooring then it will need to be injected from underneath.

What's the cost of fixing a delaminated floor?
Usually £60-250.

 

Disclaimer.
The information given in this article is provided with the best of intentions and to help you enjoy your Caravanning Experience. Information given is for guide purposes only, individuals must at all times use their own initiative while considering these matters and should seek proper legal advice if necessary.  There is no official legal advice in this article.

 

 We accept no responsibility for damage to your vehicle or to any other form of material property and accept no responsibility for personal or third party injury that may occur in relationship to information provided in this article.